Yeah. Suuuuuuure they would’ve.

I’ve been increasingly suspicious of the back-cover quotes on DC’s hardcovers ever since Ed Brubaker said some glowing words about “The Chill” earlier this year.  Maybe he really did like the worst entry in the Vertigo Crime line, but I can’t look at these things and take them seriously anymore.  Then “Superman:  Earth One” arrives and it has Richard Donner singing the usual words of praise along with the exclamation “[‘Superman’ creators] Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster would have thought it was awesome!”

Based on what I’ve heard about Siegel and Shuster’s conflicts with DC over the years before they were awarded a pension and health care benefits on the eve of “Superman:  The Movie’s” release, I find that fairly amusing.  Were I a betting man, I’d guess that their response would be more along the lines of “Yeah.  Great.  Do whatever you want.  It’s not like we have a say in things,” if they were alive today.  

That might change if their family’s efforts to terminate Warner Bros.’ copyright on “Superman” is successful.  Personally, I’m rooting for them.  Ideally I’d like it to stand as a lesson for corporations to treat the creators who deal in “work for hire” with more respect — lest ye suffer the consequences down the road.  Besides, it’s not like they’ll stop publishing Superman comics or making films and TV shows if the copyright is successfully terminated.  Either Warners will find a (more expensive) way or someone else will.